Share

Federer, Nadal battle, women's draw takes hit

New York - Former champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal battled into the US Open last 32 on Thursday while the women's draw lost the fifth seed from its top eight.

Federer recorded his 80th career win in New York but he needed five sets for the second successive match before claiming a 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Mikhail Youzhny.

It was his 17th win in 17th meetings with the grizzled Russian, who, at 35, is his junior by just one year.

World number one Nadal, meanwhile, saw off Japan's world 121 Taro Daniel 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 after being blown off court in the first set.

Federer, 36, and the five-time champion at the US Open, next faces another 35-year-old, Feliciano Lopez of Spain, for a place in the last 16. His record against Lopez is just as solid - 12-0.

"It was quite a lot of fun out there - I feel quite warmed up by now," said Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Federer, who fired 63 winners and 68 unforced errors.

Youzhny admitted he had cramped, which meant he could move left to right but not forward and back.

"That was hard to watch," said Federer. "But this was probably the best match we have played against each other."

Top seed Nadal, the 2010 and 2013 champion, was rocked by New York-born Daniel in the first set.

But Daniel, who has never beaten a top-10 player, paid the price for his all-out assault as Nadal prevailed to book a third round date with Argentine lucky loser Leonardo Mayer.

"All the matches are difficult but especially here as everyone wants to play their best and if you don't play your best it will be very difficult," said Nadal, who recovered from a set and break down.

He saw room for improvement after converting six of 11 break points.

"I didn't play very well but I will work hard to find better feelings because I know I can do much better," he said.

Andrey Rublev became the second teenager to make the third round when he stunned Bulgarian seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.

Rublev, just 19 and the world number 53, joins 18-year-old Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the last 32 at a Grand Slam event for the first time.

However, 19-year-old Taylor Fritz of the United States was unable to join Rublev and Shapovalov in the next round when he lost 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to Austrian sixth seed Dominic Thiem.

Thiem saved 16 of 18 break points he faced in a stalwart defensive display.

Also going through to the last 32 was 2009 champion Juan Martin Del Potro, the 24th seeded Argentine, who saw off Spanish qualifier Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).

Belgian ninth seed David Goffin beat Guido Pella of Argentina 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in a marathon 4 hour 12 minute match.

A record was set when American Shelby Rogers and 25th-seeded Australian Daria Gavrilova played out the longest ever women's singles match.

Their 3 hours 33 minutes clash saw Rogers win 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5).

Their second-round tie went past the previous longest of the 3 hours and 23 minutes it took Johanna Konta to beat Garbine Muguruza in the second round two years ago.

Russian eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 champion, saw her outside chances of taking the world number one ranking end when she lost to Japan's Kurumi Nara 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Kuznetsova is the fifth of the top eight seeds to lose before the third round after Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, defending champion Angelique Kerber and Johanna Konta also exited.

World number one Karolina Pliskova, the 2016 runner-up, downed American qualifier Nicole Gibbs 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

She was joined in the third round by fourth seed Elina Svitolina, one of the pretenders to her top ranking, and French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Ukraine's Svitolina reached the last 32 for a third successive year by breezing past Russia's Evgeniya Rodina 6-4, 6-4.

Ostapenko, the 12th-seeded Latvian, made the third round for the first time with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Romania's Sorana Cirstea.

Results from day 4 of the US Open on Thursday (x denotes seeding):

Men

Second round

Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Taro Daniel (JPN) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

Leonardo Mayer (ARG) bt Yuichi Sugita (JPN) 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

Viktor Troicki (SRB) bt Stefano Travaglia (ITA) 7-6 (8/6), 7-5, 6-0

Aleksandr Dolgopolov (UKR) bt Tomas Berdych (CZE x15) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2

David Goffin (BEL x9) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-3

Gael Monfils (FRA x18) bt Donald Young (USA) 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 2-6, 7-5

Damir Džumhur (BIH) bt Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (GER) 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, 6-1

Andrey Rublev (RUS) bt Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3

Roger Federer (SUI x3) bt Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

Feliciano Lopez (ESP x31) bt Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x33) bt Santiago Giraldo (COL) 6-2, 6-1, 3-0 - retired

John Millman (AUS) bt Malek Jaziri (TUN) 6-1, 7-6 (7/1), 6-1

Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x11) bt Dustin Brown (GER) 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)

Juan Martín Del Potro (ARG x24) bt Adrián Menéndez (ESP) 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)

Adrian Mannarino (FRA x30) bt Bjorn Fratangelo (USA) 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-2

Dominic Thiem (AUT x6) bt Taylor Fritz (USA) 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5

Women

Second round

Karolína Plíšková (CZE x1) bt Nicole Gibbs (USA) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4

Zhang Shuai (CHN x27) bt Risa Ozaki (JPN) 6-0, 6-3

Jennifer Brady (USA) bt Barbora Strycová (CZE) 6-1, 6-1

Monica Niculescu (ROM) bt Ana Bogdan (ROM) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x10) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 7-5, 6-2

Coco Vandeweghe (USA x20) bt Ons Jabeur (TUN) 7-6 (8/6), 6-2

Lucie Safarova (CZE) bt Nao Hibino (JPN) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2

Kurumi Nara (JPN) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x8) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3

Elina Svitolina (UKR x4) bt Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 6-4, 6-4

Shelby Rogers (USA) bt Daria Gavrilova (AUS) 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5)

Elena Vesnina (RUS x17) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-4, 6-4

Madison Keys (USA x15) bt Tatjana Malek (GER) 6-3, 6-4

Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x12) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROM) 6-4, 6-4

Darya Kasatkina (RUS) bt Christina McHale (USA) 7-5, 6-3

Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 6-4, 6-2

Naomi Osaka (JPN) bt Denisa Allertová (CZE) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1811 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1769 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1074 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 456 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 184 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE